Where’s the best place for camera operators to make money and find jobs?

Two of the hardest things to get a handle on in the film industry is how much you can expect to make and where the jobs are. Well, thanks to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, we can remove some of that guess work and find out about the average wage of a camera operator, where the most jobs are, and how much the industry is projected to grow.

Getting reliable information on an industry as fast-moving as the film industry can be tough.

Thankfully the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is in charge of keeping track of how jobs, money, and people flow into and out of different occupations and industries. And they make that data readily available on their website.

And anybody else who might fit under the title “Camera Operator” in the broadest sense.

Because the definition of camera operator is so broad and the data slightly old, be aware that these figures are more useful as guidelines. While the research is sound and the numbers thoroughly vetted, I would consider this information only as a piece of the puzzle and not the only info worth considering if you’re going to use it in a major decision about your career.

So, with all those qualifications and caveats out of the way, let’s get down with the data…

10 Facts About Camera Operating Jobs and Money

But let’s take that with a grain of salt. Why? Because that number gets inflated by the people at the high end of the spectrum; meaning if Roger Deakins gets included in the pool, he single-handedly inflates the mean annual wage which is calculated by averaging all wages together.

The more accurate indicator (for those of us who don’t get invited to the Oscars) is the median average wage which is the number in the exact middle of the spectrum regardless of how high or how low the extremes are. Unfortunately, the median annual wage is only $40,000.

2. Which is lower than other film occupations, but higher than still photographers

Of course none of these wage numbers mean much if we don’t have context to put them within. In this case, it’s helpful to compare what camera operators make against others in the film, television, and media industries as well as against the average wages for all occupations in the US economy.

When you do that, as we have in the chart above, there’s good and bad news. The good news is that camera operators make more money than the national average and, when you isolate camera operators within the “Motion Picture and Video Industries,” the annual mean wage jumps to $57,100. The bad news is that, compared to some other common production jobs, we’re lower on the scale.

3. The conventional wisdom is true; the most work is in California and New York

Top five states with highest employment levels: California (2,430), New York (2,030), Florida (1,120), Texas (1,110) and Illinois (780)

According to the BLS, California and New York are the states with the most employment of camera operators with both states besting the third state on the list, Florida, by almost double the number of camera operators employed.

(There is a catch, however, which is that self-employed camera operators are not included in these numbers. That said, other statistics show only 22% of camera operators are self-employed, so the impact may not be as large you imagine. Additionally, the anecdotal evidence I have of who I know working where seems to line up with these numbers. Still, they aren’t perfect.)

If we drill further, we find the best metropolitan areas for camera operator jobs rank as follows: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Houston.

Top five areas with highest employment levels: Los Angeles (1,700), New York (1,680), Chicago (630), Seattle (410) and Houston (330)

Surprised? Maybe once you get past the definitive 1 and 2 spots. I was surprised not to see Atlanta, GA ranked higher considering it is quickly becoming a hotbed for productions on the east coast. These figures are from 2012, however, so it’s possible Atlanta has risen in the ranks since then.

4. The best states to make money are Washington, D.C., California, and Maryland

More employment is not directly correlated with a higher annual wage. That honor – of paying their camera operators the most – goes to Washington, D.C. followed by California and Maryland.

At first that may seem surprising, but consider that Washington, D.C. (flanked by Maryland) has a tremendous infrastructure for television news and work related to politics in the nation’s capitol.

Meanwhile, sandwiched between the two east coast states is left coast California which pays its camera operators, a majority likely working in Hollywood, an annual mean wage of $69,080. That’s high compared to the national average for camera ops, but also compared to New York’s $53,210.

5. The best cities to make money are Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Washington DC

When you break down which cities/metropolitan areas have the highest annual mean wage for camera operators, it provides surprising results: Las Vegas, NV sits on top with a staggering $112,230 annual mean wage! The reason for this? Employment is listed at a meager 100 jobs – albeit well-paying jobs.

Listed next is just as surprising a city in Bethesda, MD. It, too, has only 100 jobs, but boasts an annual mean wage of $78,840. As mentioned above, this is probably due to its proximity to Washington, D.C. which has a healthy marketplace for politically-based television broadcasting. The true D.C. metro area is listed at #6 for highest annual mean wage, but combined with Bethesda, deserves to be mentioned somewhat higher.

Unsurprisingly, Los Angeles is number three with an annual mean wage of $76,120 – not far behind Bethesda and boasting many more jobs than the Maryland city. In fact, of the top 10 cities with the highest annual mean wage for camera operators, LA is the only one that breaks the 1,000 jobs barrier. That means it’s one of the few areas that has many jobs and pays well.

Rounding out the list is Chicago, Camden, NJ, a handful of California cities, and Atlanta, GA.

6. If you’re struggling to set a day rate, a good start might be $275/10-hour day

The hourly mean wage for camera operators within “Motion Picture and Video Industries” is $27.45. If we extrapolate that to 10-hours and 12-hours you get a day rate of:

You’ll always have to tweak your rate depending on project, budget, and other factors, but at least with these numbers you’re basing your rate on something meaningful, not arbitrary.

7. There were 21,400 employed camera operators in 2012

Out of the entire labor-force, including those who were self-employed, there were 21,400 working camera operators in 2012. If this number seems low, it may be – it only counts those whose camera operating gig is their primary job.

That removes a potentially large chunk of people who camera operate on side-gigs (think a wedding videographer who started it as a hobby, but accepts paid work for extra cash) or people whose primary job is helping them transition into an eventual full-time camera operator (like a young woman who shoots short films on the weekends before quitting her 9-5).

The BLS also does not distinguish between jobs in which a person could embody multiple roles. For instance, “preditors” often shoot, produce, and edit their own material – are they considered camera operators or producers or editors? That’s dependent on the individual’s self-reporting to the BLS.

So what’s the true estimate of the number of camera operators working across the U.S.? It’s hard to say. This number from the BLS is the best guess we have with any certainty.

8. Employment for camera operators is projected to grow much slower than the U.S. average

As the U.S. economy (hopefully) continues to make modest gains in the next decade, job growth for camera operators is expected to be significantly slower than all other occupations in the U.S. economy. Specifically, camera operators are projected to have a 6% positive change in employment between 2012 and 2022 compared to the 11% positive change projected for all occupations.

9. But that’s still better than the projected employment growth for other industry jobs

Here’s other media occupations projected to grow slower between 2012 and 2022:

Suddenly 6% isn’t so bad – though it would be nice to anticipate double-digit percentage growth.

10. Of workers considered camera operators, only 22% of them were self-employed

Though we often imagine camera operators as those toiling below-the-line in Hollywood and living the freelance life, only 22% of camera operators were self-employed in 2012. 28% were employed within radio and television broadcasting (news stations, TV production studios, local access, etc.) and another 28% were employed within the motion picture and video industries.

That means over three-quarters of working camera ops are gainfully employed by some type of entity be it a production company, a corporation with internal video production, places like venues that keep event staff on payroll, or another situation that keeps them on payroll.

What’s your reaction to these numbers? What surprised your or didn’t surprise you? Do you find anything on here that you think goes against the grain of conventional wisdom? Please share in the comments!

Disclaimer and Sources

OES [Occupational Employment Statistics] estimates are constructed from a sample of about 1.2 million establishments. Each year, forms are mailed to two semiannual panels of approximately 200,000 sampled establishments, one panel in May and the other in November. May 2012 estimates are based on responses from six semiannual panels collected over a 3-year period: May 2012, November 2011, May 2011, November 2010, May 2010, and November 2009.

These are numbers that you can trust and, if you disagree with my interpretation of them, please feel free to visit the source links below and draw your own conclusions.

It's easy to find interviews with big players on film sets, but it's harder to point the camera on those behind the camera in the first place – the camera assistant (AC). With some luck, however, you can find the odd interview with an AC, like this one with 2nd AC Sterling Wiggins.

How many times have you picked up a cable only to find it tangled like an Octopus orgy? Or maybe you've grabbed a video cable and thrown it out on set only to have it tie itself in knots? You could even be the one who wrapped those cables causing them to get jumbled up.

Besides $30k? Haha I don’t know. There’s not enough data to definitively say. A lot of it depends on where you live, the industry in that location, experience, tax credits, demand for positions, the type of productions being funded, and all sorts of other things. There’s too many factors both at the macro and micro level that would contribute to someone getting paid a certain amount of money that it’s hard to say with any certainty what the differences are. Depending on the two hypothetical cameramen/camerawomen you’d be comparing, it could be any sort of mix of all those factors.

With that said, I would imagine, like almost all industries, that the main difference would be experience. In almost all professions, the longer you do a job, the more money you make as you progress in your career.

Tbonemain

^2nd Evan. Experience, Location and types of shoots, and maybe if you own the gear (added rental benefit). Also, its the types of gigs the individual chooses to take (meaning do you do one or two big productions or lots of little projects (no/los) or multiple high end advertising gigs etc.. Complicated Equations. Also, this dosent take into account OT, gear or actual hours worked. Its averages.

I fall right into the center of the curve, and I can say that I see those average numbers in my Market (FL) are accurate.

Totally. Thanks for adding those extra factors. It’s hard to say what the difference would be in general terms. It’s too circumstantial.

Allman Bros

The lowest paid companies in trip state area that have name recognition are ESPN and sny. They paid around 50 to 60k for regular camera ppl

Allman Bros

Most camera people in Midtown nyc that I work with earn easily over 70k. It ranges fro. 70 to 150k if you double dip and work more than one regular gig. If you work in TV 4 to 5 days a week I can imagine making less than 70k in the nyc market. Any less then you need more.experience or your getting screwed.

Mako

Are there statistics for Grips? The ones I know work more then anyone. I think Set Designers are part of the Art Department? Note that the head guy/gal might be making $1,000+/10 hrs … but a lot of his dept are only getting $250.

I just checked and there’s no listing for Grips within the BLS’ stats. I am curious what they would get included under, however. Probably as a generic group or lumped in with lighting technicians.

Good point about the set designers. That’s why I think it’s more prudent to look at median income rather than mean, so the effects of the extremes are downplayed.

Would love to get more stats and more data, especially focused specifically on the industry, but I don’t believe the unions make it quite as available, if it’s available at all.

Brian

Great article, but I will take a small issue with the estimated rate for 10 & 12 hour days based on the hourly mean wage ($27.45). At that rate, you should be asking for approximately $300/10 and $385/12. Over 8hrs and under 12hrs gets time and a half. Double time after 12. (This is the case for California, at least)

Carlos

I find those day rates really, really low compared to what people get paid out here in Miami… I know AC’s who wont work for less than 650 a day, much less DPs

Sure it’s always going to vary according to several factors. It’s important to keep in mind that it’s an hourly average for all camera operators, including those not involved in the film industry. Also, in the article I suggest that those starting out as beginners use the average wage as guidelines. For those looking for more specific guidelines, you could look at the by-area data or the average wage for just those in the particular industry you plan to work within. Of course asking others working in your market is the best way to get a grasp for rates – but that isn’t the easiest when you’re starting out.

Chris Ratledge

I was going to bring up these numbers too, kudos for bringing it up. That corresponding higher rate than noted in Evan’s article, from what I understand, is based on labor law and payroll processing as well, with an assumed 8 hours of straight time, which may or may not have anything specifically to do with CA – I do it the same way and come up with the same numbers and I’m in the Midwest. The quick and dirty method to turn an hourly rate into a day rate for either a 10 or 12 hour day is this, which I use all the time in negotiations:

As far as the rate itself and being low – your stat that only 22% of the Ops are freelancers explains it. The rest are working broadcast or some other type of staff job, which is why the average rate may be about the same as a low-budget indie feature.

Yeah I mean I think the rate is low for someone with heavy experience, but these are good figures. Thanks for explaining it so well, Chris.

Ryan Stamm

From this community; what is the opinion on half day rates or even hourly rates? i understand theres many different segements to the industry so it’s hard to narrow it down to what acceptable for each one. As a Freelance i have worked in many different areas Corporate/events, reality, commercials, sports and movies. Hourly to me just doesn’t seem right cause even if its a 4 hour job your still losing half of a day of your time. It gets tricky when you get to the point where you work 5.5 or 6.5 hours; so once I’m over the 5/6 hour half day rate do i then charge them a full day rate cause I’m over the half day rate amount of hours. Thats where to me it gets tricky; maybe just charging the full day rate makes sense cause the ones hiring you know what the rate is regardless of 1 or 12 hours. It’s a Double edged sword cause your half day rate or full day rate I can be much that company may not call you for smaller jobs. Like evan and so many others have said that you can tell them your rate and mention to them that you are willing to work within their budget for that job within reason. Just looking to see what everyone thoughts are on this matter sorry for it being so long.

I don’t ever go below a half-day rate. That’s my minimum. I judge half/full day-rate based on what the expectations are. If I’m told it’s going to be a 12 hour day and we wrap after 7 or 8-hours, then I’m still charging the full day because I had blocked out that time. If I’m told it’s going to be a 6-hour day, then I’ll only charge a half-day (if production brings it up). Typically for a camera prep I will get a half-day rate because it’s not going to take me 12 hours to get a camera package ready (unless it’s a big show).